We have been using Trello[1] for several projects and so far it's been
getting rave reviews all around. We've used Basecamp quite a bit and it's
an excellent project communication tool, but it sometimes fell a little
short when it came to the ticket-y use cases--specifically, planning and
discussion around smaller chunks of work could be difficult. Trello
provides a clean interface that solves the many of our more pressing issues
for smaller projects, including:

1) Feature-specific discussion and prioritization.
2) Simple bug tracking.
3) Recording actionable output of meetings to improve continuity between
planning sessions as well as to easily document a common understanding of
project goals.
4) Killing code block by structuring the project as a pipeline of
clearly-defined tasks.
5) Providing a place where any project member's random ideas can be
recorded before they're forgotten.
6) Encouraging open debate outside of meetings.
7) Providing a nice one-handed mobile interface for our colleagues with
newborns.

We've found that the system is intuitive both for very-technical and
less-technical colleagues and has helped to reduce the cognitive load
associated with keeping project history in memory. We have also been using
Google Docs for document management and GitHub for code management, but
haven't yet tried integrating Trello with GitHub[2][3]. I love the limits
the Trello developers have embraced, but it will sometimes come up short
when compared to some more complex project management systems (e.g. time
tracking, elevated project manager privileges, scheduling and chart
generation, document management). The current version is "free forever"[4],
although I think there are plans to offer a paid package with additional
features.

Jason

[1] https://trello.com/
[2] https://github.com/zanker/github-trello
[3] https://zapier.com/zapbook/github/trello/
[4] https://trello.com/privacy


On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 3:26 PM, Cary Gordon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Jira, which we use for major projects, is not open source. Atlassian
> does provide Jira and Confluence — their wiki tool — free of charge to
> open source projects.
>
> Jira is a big hammer, and to get the most out of it, you need someone
> to devote a significant amount of time to configuring and maintaining
> it. While it is usable out of the box, it is not any better in that
> form than Redmine or myriad other, lighter weight and easier to manage
> alternatives.
>
> Cary
>
> On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 12:06 PM, Kaile Zhu <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > We can keep adding to the list.  Since there are so many choices,  I see
> the strong reason to use open source software.  Here is my recommendation:
> Jira (project management/bug reporting system used by professional software
> development companies, like apache.org), spiceworks, etc.  - Kelly
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Mau, Trish
> > Sent: 2013年1月14日 13:53
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] project management system
> >
> > I also like Basecamp but for really simple projects Minigroup might do
> the job: https://minigroup.com/. It's a hosted solution with plans
> starting at $3/year. There's no ticketing system or whiteboards, but you
> can communicate with your team, create and assign tasks, and post
> events/deadlines.
> >
> > Trish
> >
> > Trish Mau, librarian/web coordinator
> > Burnaby Public Library, 6100 Willingdon Avenue, Burnaby BC, V5H 4N5 tel. 604
> 436 5425  fax 604 436 9087
> >
> > The contents of this message may not necessarily reflect the position of
> Burnaby Public Library. If you have any concerns about this message, please
> e-mail [log in to unmask]
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Cary Gordon
> > Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 11:11 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] project management system
> >
> > I agree with Rosalyn that the key is what you mean by project
> management. I get the impression that you aren't looking for a ticketing
> system.
> >
> > For lists and communication, we use (and like) Basecamp, but there are
> lots of good alternatives. PBWorks is another good hosted system. If you
> can host yourself, MediaWiki, which powers the code4lib wiki, has a huge
> community, is widely used in the library world, and ramps up relatively
> quickly.
> >
> > We use Unfuddle for most of our ticketing, and they have a new planning
> product called Alchemy, which is in beta.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Cary
> >
> >
> > On Jan 14, 2013, at 10:52 AM, Rosalyn Metz <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Kun,
> >>
> >> I guess the first question I would ask is what do you mean by project
> >> management -- its kind of a big space.  Are you looking for something
> >> more like a ticketing system?  Is your primary concern keeping up
> >> communication on projects?  Or are you looking to create a project
> >> list that you can keep track of?  Are you trying to just outline what
> it is that your projects are?
> >>
> >> If you're looking for a ticketing system I like GitHub Ticketing --
> >> its free and easy to use.  If you're primarily worried about keeping
> >> up communication with a different groups, google groups can suffice 9
> times
> >> out of 10.   If you're just looking to keep track of a list of projects,
> >> you might be able to get away with something simple like a Google Form
> >> that submits to a spreadsheet.  If you're just outlining what your
> >> projects are you could just start off by creating project one pagers
> >> (ala Tito
> >> Sierra<http://www.slideshare.net/tsierra/the-projectonepager>
> >> ).
> >>
> >> My recommendation would be to start off small (and free).  After a few
> >> months, re-evaluate and see where you are.  Maybe you'll realize you
> >> need something more robust (Unfuddle instead of GitHub Ticketing;
> >> Basecamp instead of Google Groups; time management planning instead of
> >> lists of projects; formal project plans instead of one pagers;).
> >>
> >> Rosalyn
> >>
> >>
> >> On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 1:27 PM, Lin, Kun <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hi all,
> >>>
> >>> Our library is looking for a project management system. Does anyone
> >>> has any suggestions on which one to choose? We only have a very small
> >>> team and our main focus is to guide our librarians to submit their
> >>> ideas and for record tacking purposes.
> >>>
> >>> Thanks
> >>> Kun
> >>>
>
>
>
> --
> Cary Gordon
> The Cherry Hill Company
> http://chillco.com
>